


Heartsease

by fairytaleweaver



Category: Tales of Berseria
Genre: Angst, End Game Spoilers, F/F, Post end game, kind of
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-24
Updated: 2017-02-24
Packaged: 2018-09-26 13:40:01
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,300
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9900176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fairytaleweaver/pseuds/fairytaleweaver
Summary: A year has passed and Eleanor finds herself at the Empyreans Throne. Post Ending spoilers.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Heartsease: peace of mind, tranquility

Eleanor’s not sure why she came here today.

The skies above are dreary and grey, clouds hanging heavy and low, the promise of rain in the air. There’s the wind, but it’s soft and still gentle, bringing only a slight chill. The Empyreans Throne looms above her as if an altar to the heavens. The white stone is striking on such a dark day, a beacon of light, a reminder of hope to many.

She had already found an excuse to distance herself from the conversation with the other exorcists, the ones whom she knew to find them stationed here. Their job was simple: control the flow of tourists and prevent vandalism, doing what they can to ward off the remaining roaming Daemons of the land from attacking the major roadways. Their conversations had been brief, as while they understood that she was not an enemy, still found that they wary of her- or simply unable to forgive her.

Eleanor couldn’t blame them. 

She had “betrayed” the Abbey. She had traveled alongside Velvet.

Now, since the rain's coming, they were shutting down tourism here and ushering the crowds away. She’s not sure if it's fear or something else entirely that’s keeping the others from ushering her away with the rest- but she finds that she’s left well enough alone. Soon, she’s sure she’ll be alone at the base of the Empyreans Throne.

It’s hard to think that it’s only been a year.

It’s already been a year.

Mechanically, she starts climbing the steps. They’re wet already with light rain that still fell from the sky. She herself is already damp and as the rain seems to fall heavier, she wishes she brought an umbrella. The stairs seem to go on forever and her thighs are burning and she can’t seem to catch her breath- She’s already halfway up, perhaps it’s time for a break.

It hadn’t seemed so hard to climb last year.

Then again, she hadn’t been alone then. She was now.

She finds herself looking up at the sky, searching for something, anything in the clouds. The rain was quickly changing into a storm- the weather was becoming even more unpredictable these days.

Velvet had been a storm all on her own.

When they had first met, Eleanor would have never guessed who she was- and what she would become.

Eleanor shakes her thoughts free and forces herself to her feet. She must climb to the top- storm or not. She’s not entirely sure why herself, but none the less she finds that she must. Perhaps she’ll see Laphicet- no, Maotelus, at the top.

A part of her doubts this.

A part of her doesn’t want to see him, not right now.

The wind’s picked up and now it’s gone from a slight chill to actually cold and fully unpleasant. Eleanor wraps her arms around herself and persists to her goal. She’s over halfway there and now just walking is difficult but there’s no way she’s gonna back down now.

Just like before.

A battle to the death on the edge of a cliff and of a wild woman with black hair and fiery eyes resurfaces in her memory. She hadn’t backed down then either.

Almost as if to challenge her resolve, she sees a flash of lightning in the distance- a deep roll of thunder following. She’s exposed, out in the open here. However unlikely, she could be struck. A part of her tells her that this crazy, and to leave the throne and seek shelter immediately.

But she’s nearly to the top- besides, there’s shelter up there if she needs it.

Eleanor’s not sure if she wants it, though.

She overtakes the last step and finds herself crashing next to a pillar, feeling safer now that she’s not out in the open and exposed. It’s still dangerous, but less so. The pillars protect, however little, from the rain and the wind and suddenly Eleanor sees a whole new side to the storm.

The clouds were rolling in the sky akin to ocean waves, lightning striking against the grey, trees moving, flowing almost, with the wind. The gentle pitter-patter of rain contrasts with the low rumble of thunder and the violent whipping wind. The hard pelting rain and the cold harsh wind that brings a shiver right down to her bones- yet the smells of the storm, the smell of rain somehow brings comfort.

Velvet Crowe had been a storm, just like this.

Her heart aches suddenly, but Eleanor does not shy away from it. She casts her eyes downward, looking at the stairway from whence she had come.

Velvet- the Lord of Calamity- had been a violent daemon who had brought terror so many in pursuit of her goal. She was bloodthirsty and driven by revenge. Lashing out in anger and trying so hard- too hard to embrace the side of her that had become a monster.

Another strike of lightning. Another roll of thunder.

But then, Eleanor thought, bringing her gaze upwards to the sky, Velvet had her times of kindness too. The times when she would tease, joke, even occasionally smile. There were more of those moments towards the end…. The moment on the Van Eltia that night… The times when Eleanor felt something almost akin to camaraderie- at the very least…

A comforting whiff of the smell of rain. The gentle patter of it against the steps.

That night on the deck of the Van Eltia…. There had been…something. But that memory is the one she finds herself thinking of the most whenever her mind wanders to Velvet. The gentle somewhat resigned tone of voice and the kind face. Her eyes… Velvet’s beautiful eyes remain the most striking thing in her memory.

Eleanor’s not sure what it was, only that it hurts.

She’s cold and wet from the rain, and the unforgiving wind only makes her colder.

_“Take care of Laphicet.”_

Velvet’s voice is crystal clear in her memory, jolting Eleanor to her senses. She glances at the area behind her, she doesn’t see him- but she knows that Laphicet- no, _Maotelus_ is here, somewhere. What would Velvet think if she knew what Laphicet had done- what Laphicet had become?

No. It doesn’t matter.

“I will.” Eleanor finds herself whispering to the winds.

Velvet is asleep now, and she may never wake. She probably never intended to. For all intents and purposes, Velvet Crowe was gone. She would fade away in the records of history and be only remembered as a lord of calamity. She probably wouldn’t have cared.

And just like Velvet Crowe, this storm…

As Eleanor gets to her feet she sees the rain has already begun to let up. The clouds are slowly beginning to drift apart and within the hour the skies might even be clear. There’s still some rumbling thunder and the wind still has not died down. The storm was ending.

Eleanor turns to face the Empyreans Throne.

There is still much work to be done. People are still too reluctant about Empyrean worship after the events of last year. She must do what she can to change the world so that people and malakihm can live in harmony.

She knows now why she’s come here.

“Goodbye… Velvet.”

And with that, Eleanor turns on her heel and begins the journey back down the stairway. Soaked to the bone, and knowing that she’ll most likely develop a cold in the next few days, she descends back into the world of the present- the world that she must work every day to change. Things are not perfect, but that’s what makes it great. She doesn’t look back at the Throne as she reaches the base.

Eleanor closes that chapter of her life and steps into the next one.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an experimental work, I've not really wrote a lot in the past few years so I'm trying to get back on track! I hope you enjoyed, despite any errors that I missed and general sloppiness in my writing.  
> Constructive Criticism is appreciated!


End file.
